2018 Season Announced!

Australia’s unique chamber music series returns in 2018 for a season devoted to celebrating musical partnerships, camaraderie in chamber music and the breadth of soundscapes created using small forces by those who understood them best!

Selby & Friends is the only touring chamber music series in Australia that centres around one performer, pianist Kathryn Selby, with an ensemble cast of extraordinary and brilliant musical partners.

The 2018 Season welcomes back many wonderful old friends who have enthralled audiences in previous seasons, and introduces two compelling virtuosic new guests to Selby & Friends in programs which will explore stunning and exciting new soundscapes. This Season is devoted to deconstructing the parts that make up the whole, with piano trios expanding to quartet and reducing to duos. The development of brilliant partnerships and the exploration of new musical worlds remains our focus with a special fifth and final all-Beethoven program, chosen entirely by the audience. This versatile season also introduces intriguing music by Messiaen, de Falla, Piazzolla, Schumann, Arensky and much more.

Returning as part of our brilliant artistic line-up are stunning violinists Natalie Chee and Andrew Haveron, and popular, charismatic cellists Umberto Clerici, Clancy Newman and Julian Smiles. Also returning in 2018 is the dynamic Finnish duo of Vesa-Matti Leppänen and Timo-Veikko Valve whose finely wrought sense of humour competes only with their incredible virtuosity and sensitivity.

Joining our ensemble for the first time in 2018 is renowned violin virtuoso Alexandre Da Cost-Graveline who currently splits his time between an international solo career and leading the string department at WAAPA in Perth. Also new to S&F in 2018 is young Australian clarinetist Lloyd Van’t Hoff who joins returning young star violinist Grace Clifford as part of our program to support outstanding young Australians on their professional journey.

We venture into new territory with two different venues in 2018 – in Melbourne at Methodist Ladies’ College’s Tatoulis Auditorium in Kew and the NSW Southern Highlands with both Mittagong Playhouse and Bowral Memorial Hall – all accommodate larger audiences whilst continuing our desire for intimacy and inclusion.

“It is to Selby’s credit that she is able to employ an ever-changing ensemble of musicians, whilst maintaining a symbiosis that most established piano trios would kill for. There are few musicians in the country who could achieve this so consistently.” Limelight Magazine

With performances variously described by reviewers in 2017 as “the real thing”, “world class” and “always delivering the goods at a high standard”, Selby & Friends concerts are regularly sold out to devoted audiences around Australia.

Season subscriptions and special offers are on sale now. Selby & Friends presents a subscription season of five tours in 2018 to venues in Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Turramurra and the NSW Southern Highlands.